December 14, 2024: Ice Storm Summary

Fast Facts
Ice Reports
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Environment

Fast Facts

Widespread freezing rain occurred across eastern Iowa, northeast Missouri, and west central and northwest Illinois during the daytime on Saturday, December 14.

Some of the more notable impacts were:
- Many slick roads in and around the Cedar Rapids, IA metro area where over a half inch of flat ice was observed (CID Airport total of 0.68").
- Iowa City, IA saw over a quarter inch of ice accumulation.
- Multiple jackknifed trucks on I-80 as reported through social media.
- Numerous branches down across the area due to icing. These along with ice on wires caused power outages, with some counties in southeast Iowa temporarily having 30% of customers without power.
- McDonough County in west central Illinois, including the Macomb area, where icing over 0.25" resulted in several large branches down due to ice.
The conditions that helped this event produce 6-12 hours of icing were:
- A preceding very cold air mass from Wednesday afternoon, December 11 through Friday, December 13, which chilled pavement temperatures.
- A weather system passing to our south spreading warm air northward aloft but not as quickly at the surface -- a recipe for freezing rain.
- Wind! Winds gusting 20-30 mph from the east helped aid in ice accretion, especially where rainfall rates were not overly heavy.
NWS Quad Cities and offices to the west, north, and east had issued winter headlines in advance of this, including an Ice Storm Warning for a large portion of eastern Iowa and immediate adjacent areas of Missouri and Illinois, including Cedar Rapids, Iowa City, and the Quad Cities.

NWS Quad Cities issues Ice Storm Warnings (widespread >0.25" of ice and associated impacts) about once every three years. The last Ice Storm Warning our office had issued was Feb 22, 2023.

Ice Reports

Freezing Rain Reports Listed By Amount 

Location                     Amount    Time/Date                            
Cedar Rapids Arpt            0.68 in   1152 PM 12/14
2 SE Coralville              0.50 in   0216 PM 12/14                        
3 NNE Cedar Rapids           0.50 in   0320 PM 12/14                        
North Liberty                0.50 in   0400 PM 12/14                        
Anamosa                      0.45 in   0513 PM 12/14                        
Marion                       0.42 in   0137 PM 12/14                        
Colchester                   0.40 in   0934 AM 12/14                        
Industry                     0.40 in   1150 AM 12/14                        
2 N Ely                      0.40 in   0218 PM 12/14                        
Parnell                      0.40 in   0308 PM 12/14                        
2 S Hiawatha                 0.40 in   0337 PM 12/14                        
2 N Central City             0.40 in   0405 PM 12/14                        
1 ESE Solon                  0.38 in   1133 AM 12/14                        
1 NNE Oakdale                0.38 in   1157 AM 12/14                        
Tiffin                       0.38 in   0146 PM 12/14                        
Manchester                   0.38 in   0304 PM 12/14                                             
1 WNW Cou Falls              0.37 in   0314 PM 12/14                        
2 ENE Hiawatha               0.35 in   0432 PM 12/14                        
1 W Elmira                   0.35 in   0550 PM 12/14                        
1 SSW Washington             0.32 in   1100 AM 12/14                        
Davenport Arpt               0.32 in   1152 PM 12/14                                              
Iowa City                    0.30 in   0855 AM 12/14                        
1 ENE Fairfax                0.30 in   0940 AM 12/14                        
2 ESE Iowa City              0.30 in   1056 AM 12/14                        
2 NE Cedar Rapids            0.30 in   1153 AM 12/14                        
3 N Marion                   0.30 in   1245 PM 12/14                        
Stanwood                     0.30 in   0300 PM 12/14                        
Lowden                       0.30 in   0615 PM 12/14                        
Quad City Intl Arpt          0.27 in   1140 PM 12/14                        
Dubuque Arpt                 0.26 in   1053 PM 12/14                        
1 NE Cedar Rapids            0.25 in   0700 AM 12/14                        
Columbus City                0.25 in   0739 AM 12/14                        
Carthage                     0.25 in   0909 AM 12/14                        
Cedar Rapids                 0.25 in   0921 AM 12/14                        
1 ENE North English          0.25 in   0933 AM 12/14                        
2 E Cedar Rapids             0.25 in   0943 AM 12/14                        
4 S Atkins                   0.25 in   1027 AM 12/14                        
1 SSW Mooar                  0.25 in   1042 AM 12/14                        
1 NE Spring Grove            0.25 in   1112 AM 12/14                        
1 W Amana                    0.25 in   1114 AM 12/14                        
1 WNW Sigourney              0.25 in   1156 AM 12/14                        
3 SW Yarmouth                0.25 in   0155 PM 12/14                        
Riverside                    0.25 in   0230 PM 12/14                        
2 SW Sunbury                 0.25 in   0300 PM 12/14                        
Upper South Amana            0.25 in   0300 PM 12/14                        
1 ENE Silvis                 0.25 in   0304 PM 12/14                        
1 SW Silvis                  0.25 in   0324 PM 12/14                        
2 NNE Iowa City              0.25 in   0339 PM 12/14                        
Winfield                     0.25 in   0446 PM 12/14                        
Washington                   0.25 in   0714 PM 12/14                        
1 SSW Cordova                0.24 in   1110 AM 12/14                        
3 ENE Charlie Heath Memorial 0.20 in   0628 AM 12/14                        
2 SSE Burlington Regional Ai 0.20 in   1011 AM 12/14                        
1 SW Perlee                  0.20 in   1044 AM 12/14                        
1 W Macomb                   0.20 in   1100 AM 12/14                        
3 W Mount Sterling           0.20 in   1101 AM 12/14                        
1 ENE Burlington Regional Ai 0.20 in   1108 AM 12/14                        
1 NE Iowa City               0.20 in   1137 AM 12/14                        
1 W Industry                 0.20 in   1205 PM 12/14                        
2 S Coggon                   0.20 in   1225 PM 12/14                        
2 NNE New Windsor            0.20 in   0245 PM 12/14                        
2 WNW Bettendorf             0.20 in   0322 PM 12/14                        
2 ENE Hazleton               0.20 in   0630 PM 12/14                        
1 SSW Coal Valley            0.19 in   0258 PM 12/14                        
1 SSW Montrose               0.16 in   0830 AM 12/14                        
Urbana                       0.15 in   0113 PM 12/14                        
1 SE Sand Hill               0.13 in   0817 AM 12/14                        
2 NNE Muscatine              0.13 in   0826 AM 12/14                        
1 NE Park View               0.13 in   1225 PM 12/14                        
1 NNW Dewitt                 0.13 in   0320 PM 12/14                        
1 ENE Clinton                0.13 in   0757 PM 12/14                        
Robins                       0.10 in   0656 AM 12/14                        
1 NW Center Grove            0.10 in   0927 AM 12/14                        
Wyoming                      0.10 in   1245 PM 12/14                        
2 SSE Warner                 0.10 in   0224 PM 12/14                        
Bushnell                     0.10 in   0530 PM 12/14                        
Davis                        0.10 in   0849 PM 12/14                        
Rubio                        0.00 in   0613 AM 12/14                        
1 ENE Clinton                0.00 in   0914 AM 12/14                        
Cambridge                    0.00 in   1014 AM 12/14                        
Macomb                       0.00 in   1250 PM 12/14                        

..SLEET REPORTS..

Location                     Amount    Time/Date                            
Lowden                       0.5 in    0615 PM 12/14                        
3 N Marion                   0.3 in    0608 AM 12/14                        
Galena                        T in     0853 AM 12/14

Radar

Radar Image

Radar loop with annotated precipitation types from 12 AM - 6 PM on Dec 14.

Click Here for Loop

Rain Reports

24 hour precipitation reports (in Inches),
for eastern Iowa, northwest and west central Illinois,
and northeast Missouri. Reported between Midnight and 9 AM,
Sunday December 15, 2024.

....IOWA....
Keokuk LD19                      1.62
Fairfield 5.7 NNE                1.44
Sigourney                        1.13
Mt Pleasant                      1.05
Donnellson                       1.01
Iowa City                        0.95
Solon 0.4 WNW                    0.93
Parnell 0.1 SSW                  0.90
Farmington 3.5 W                 0.87
Farmington 2.4 W                 0.86
Hayesville 0.2 SW                0.86
Farmington 0.3 NW                0.85
Farmington 0.4 NNW               0.84
Salem 1S                         0.83
Fairfield                        0.81
Pella                            0.80
Wellman 4.0 E                    0.75
Wapello 5.4 SE                   0.70
Muscatine 3.0 NE                 0.70
Davenport 0.9 WNW                0.69
Washington                       0.63
Eldridge 0.7 SSW                 0.62
Dubuque #3                       0.60
Burlington Arpt                  0.60
Pella AWOS                       0.59
Center Point 0.5 N               0.56
Oskaloosa AWOS                   0.56
Calamus 2.0 NE                   0.55
Iowa City 2.0 WSW                0.53
Lowden                           0.53
Iowa City Arpt                   0.52
Charlotte 1.9 WNW                0.51
Solon 0.3 ESE                    0.48
Williamsburg                     0.48
Davenport 4.3 NE                 0.45
Robins 0.8 SE                    0.45
De Witt                          0.44
Welton 0.2 WNW                   0.43
Iowa City 2.3 E                  0.42
Muscatine 2N                     0.42
Davenport Arpt                   0.42
Dubuque Arpt                     0.40
North Liberty 0.7 SSW            0.38
Manchester                       0.38
Bellevue LD12                    0.38
Waterloo ASOS                    0.37
Marion 1.7 NNW                   0.35
Guttenberg Dam 10                0.34
Dubuque LD11                     0.34
Marengo 2.6 SSW                  0.32
Ely 0.5 SE                       0.29
Nichols 2.5 NNW                  0.28
Marion 0.9 NE                    0.27
Marshalltown                     0.27
Oelwein 1E                       0.27
Central City 6.7 W               0.26
Cedar Rapids 5.8 N               0.25
Dundee 1.4 NNE                   0.25
Grinnell AWOS                    0.24
Marshalltown ASOS                0.22
Anamosa 3 SSW                    0.21
Yarmouth 1.9 SW                  0.20
Fayette                          0.20
NWS Johnston*                    0.18
Ames US 30                       0.17
Mount Auburn 2.2 NNW             0.07
Mason City                       0.04
Boone                            0.04
Mason City ASOS                  0.02
Vinton                           0.00
Oelwein AWOS                     0.00
....ILLINOIS....
Augusta                          1.60
Quincy Arpt                      1.57
Colchester 3.5 NE                1.00
Peoria Arpt                      0.90
Lincoln NWS                      0.89
Galesburg                        0.77
Dallas City 3.0 SSE              0.76
Quad City Arpt                   0.67
Colona 0.5 ESE                   0.60
Ill. City LD16                   0.60
Kewanee                          0.58
New Windsor 2.0 N                0.57
Ottawa                           0.57
Moline 0.7 NNE                   0.56
Aledo                            0.56
Bloomington Airport              0.55
Galva 0.4 NW                     0.54
Decatur Airport                  0.53
Streator                         0.51
Minonk                           0.50
Geneseo 2.0 NW                   0.49
Romeoville                       0.49
Windsor                          0.47
Mendota                          0.47
Sterling 5.9 NNE                 0.45
East Dubuque 1.7 SE              0.45
Paw Paw                          0.45
Rockford Arpt                    0.45
Joliet Arpt                      0.39
Ogden                            0.37
St Anne                          0.36
Tuscola                          0.32
Fulton LD13                      0.32
Lena 0.3 SSE                     0.31
New Boston LD17                  0.28
Mount Carroll 6.8 NNW            0.26
Freeport 2.9 WSW                 0.26
Winslow 4.3 ESE                  0.25
Freeport 4.3 W                   0.20
Elizabeth                        0.20
Stockton 3.4 NNE                 0.18

Photos


Colchester, IL (McDonough Co) from Jesse Risley.	Colchester, IL (McDonough Co) from Jesse Risley.	Colchester, IL (McDonough Co) from Jesse Risley.

Iowa City, IA (Johnson Co) from Jean Wiese	Cedar Rapids, IA (Linn Co) FAA Control Tower from Logan Gloss.

Looking out at the window at NWS Quad Cities in Davenport, IA late on the morning of Saturday, December 14.

Environment


DVN Sounding - 5 AM 12/14/2024	DVN Sounding - 5 PM 12/14/2024


Mesoscale Discussion #2266 1141 PM 12/13/24	Mesoscale Discussion #2267 458 AM 12/14/2024

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